House of Lords' eponymous debut was released in 1988, featuring a heavier sound than Giuffria with slightly less emphasis on keyboards, the debut received critical acclaim and the band toured with Cheap Trick and opened for Scorpions in 1989. The album featured one major hit, "I Wanna Be Loved" (Hot 100 #58). The Stan Bush penned "Love Don't Lie" was the second single but aside from some airplay on MTV it failed to ignite. Despite a successful tour, original guitarist Lanny Cordola left in 1990, replaced by Michael Guy.
Their next effort, 1990's Sahara, features Michael Guy and an impressive list of guest musicians. Other notable contributions to the album came from Doug Aldrich, Rick Nielsen, Chris Impellitteri, Mandy Meyer, David Glen Eisley, Robin Zander, Mike Tramp, Steve Plunkett and Ron Keel. The first single & video was the Blind Faith cover "Can't Find My Way Home" which did well on Album Rock radio peaking at #10.. The second single "Remember My Name" was a bigger hit at Top 40 radio hitting #72 on the Hot 100 and a Top 5 regular on DIAL MTV. Soon after the single peaked, Chuck Wright and Ken Mary (drummer) would leave.
1992's release Demons Down, described by Christian as his favorite release, features Dennis Chick (guitars), Sean McNabb (bass) and Tommy Aldridge (drums) as well as, sole original members, James Christian and Gregg Giuffria. The album spawned two singles for the title track and the ballad "What's forever for" which would have been massive in a pre-grunge climate. After recording demos to shop for a new label, the band parted ways.
From a business point of view, House of Lords never reached the same level of popularity that Giuffria did in the mid-eighties until Jeff Kent was called to pull the band out of its black hole at the Frontier Records, ready to drop the House of Lords after the bands disastrous ratings of "The Power And The Myth" CD. The sacking of original Giuffria vocalist David Glen Eisley by Gene Simmons was not the most clever decision, but accepted by Gregg Giuffria.
A new album was rumored to be released in 2002, with original members Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright and Ken Mary. Two years later The Power And The Myth was released by Frontiers Records with lack luster ratings and songs, however Greg Giuffria had pulled out and keyboard work was done by guests Derek Sherinian, Allan Okuye, Sven Martin and Ricky Phillips.
In 2006 House of Lords released a truly new album with most all the melodies and lyrics written by Jeff Kent (formerly of Pierce Arrow, Dreams, CBS songwriter, MTM Songwriter, and Producer of countless songs and projects, including songs on Robin Beck's "Trouble or Nothin" CD, including the 20th Anniversary newly released version, her "Living on a Dream" CD lyrics written almost exclusively with Jeff Kent) and World Upside Down with a new lineup including Jeff Kent as a “full band member” pictured in his barrette on the CD cover as well as all over the inside jacket of credits. Jeff Kent also played all the Keyboard parts in spite of what their fans were told about Gregg Giuffria, who backed out at the last minute, but was paid for the use of his name and credits to keep the band’s continuity with their fans.
Soon to follow was a live album HOL released Live in the UK which was released in January 2007. To the band’s great pleasure, Melodicrock.com also included two of Jeff Kent's co-compositions on the double 20th Anniversary CD, regularly released by MELODICROCK.COM, the greatest authority on Heavy Melodic Rock music in the world today.
2008 was marked with the release of the long awaited next new studio album, where Jeff Kent was again solicited to write “all the lyrics and melodies” with the exception of one song on this new amazing CD. Even the title came from Jeff Kent's Lyric on the song “Come to My Kingdom”, used as the title of the entire CD Come to My Kingdom, which was again followed by a limited European, US tour. However, unfortunately, due to poor business decisions, this barely supported and promoted new album rated at 97% on Melodicrock.com's website. Jeff Kent's work on the World Upside Down CD raised the bar on Melodicrock.com to being rated at 96% after the bands poor effort on "The Power And The Myth." Recently, the band was asked to play for the first time in Brazil, together with White Lion and Tyketto (both for the first time in Brazil as well), in the Hard in Rio II Hard Rock Festival.
In 2009, the band plans to resume limited touring and continue the infamous Come to My Kingdom tour of Europe, starting in September 2009.
Hologram
House of Lords Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mark Baker - James Christian - Rob Marcello
First you're there
Then you're nowhere
You say you care but you disappear
Like a ghost
When I'm alone
One touch
Is not enough
When I can't get through to you
You look real
But you don't feel like I hunger for you to
Hologram, hologram
Who you gonna be tonight?
Hologram
Are you hiding in the light?
Oh, everything I saw in you
Now, baby, I see through
Who you gonna turn to tonight?
You fool the eye
You make 'em cry
You tell no lies but it's all an illusion
You make me feel
The feeling's real like I am touching you
But one touch
Is not enough when the movie's starring you
One kiss
And I start missing the cinematic views
Hologram, hologram
Who you gonna be tonight?
Hologram
Are you hiding in the light?
Everything I saw in you
Now, baby, I see through
Who you gonna turn to tonight?
One touch
Is not enough
When I can't get through to you
You look real
But you don't feel like I hunger for you to
Hologram, hologram
Who you gonna be tonight?
Hologram, hologram
Who you gonna be tonight?
Hologram
Are you hiding in the light?
I see you care
But you'll not there disappear
I see you care
But you'll not there
You'll not there
Who you gonna be tonight?
'Till a baby
I see you care
But you'll not there
You'll not there
Who you gonna be tonight?
The song "Hologram" by House of Lords is about feeling disconnected from someone who seems present physically, but emotionally inaccessible. The lyrics describe a relationship in which one partner is romantically invested, but the other is emotionally distant, leading to feelings of confusion and frustration. The metaphor of a hologram is used to emphasize the idea that the person in question may seem real and solid, but in reality is merely an illusion.
The opening lines, "First you're there / Then you're nowhere / You say you care but you disappear" set the tone for the song, which is one of uncertainty and doubt. The singer is left feeling alone and abandoned, despite the promise of a connection. The chorus reinforces this feeling, with its repeated question "Who you gonna be tonight?" suggesting that the person in question is not a consistent presence in the singer's life.
Throughout the song, the lyrics compare the person to a hologram, emphasizing the idea that they are not fully real or authentic. The singer yearns for a deeper connection, but ultimately feels that the illusion of intimacy is not enough. The repeated refrain "Hologram, hologram" serves as a reminder that the person is not as they seem, and that the singer's feelings may be based on false pretenses.
Overall, "Hologram" is a song about the challenges of navigating modern relationships, in which technology and social media can create a facade of intimacy that ultimately falls short. It highlights the importance of genuine emotional connections and the danger of allowing illusions to take their place.
Line by Line Meaning
First you're there
At the start of our relationship, you were present
Then you're nowhere
Now you're absent or missing
You say you care but you disappear
You claim to care about me, but you vanish when I need you
Like a ghost
You seem to haunt me, but I can't touch, see or hear you
When I'm alone
You only seem to come around when I'm by myself
You're somewhere in the air
I can't locate you anywhere, but I can sense your presence
One touch
A single physical connection
Is not enough
It doesn't suffice
When I can't get through to you
When I can't reach you emotionally or mentally
You look real
Physically, you seem genuine
But you don't feel like I hunger for you to
Your emotional connection to me seems insincere or superficial, unlike the depth and longing that I feel for you
Hologram, hologram
Referring to the idea that the person is like a hologram
Who you gonna be tonight?
What character or persona will you adopt or show up as
Are you hiding in the light?
Are you concealing who you are in plain sight
Oh, everything I saw in you
All the good qualities or potential I saw in you
Now, baby, I see through
Now I see that it was all pretense or deception
You fool the eye
You deceive or trick one's sight or perception
You make 'em cry
You evoke emotions that bring people to tears
You tell no lies but it's all an illusion
You don't speak falsehoods, but you create a false reality
You make me feel
You evoke emotions in me
The feeling's real like I am touching you
The emotions are authentic, akin to physically touching you
And I start missing the cinematic views
I begin to yearn for the perfect or idealized version of you
I see you care
I recognize that you care
But you'll not there disappear
But you're absent, you're gone
You'll not there
You're not present or available
Who you gonna be tonight?
What mask will you wear, what role will you play
'Till a baby
Until the baby
Contributed by Maria J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.